"This jersey has been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid" - KOM win a true accomplished goal for Giulio Ciccone

Giulio Ciccone had the Giro d'Italia on his mind, but the alternative proved as successful as he could've hoped for. After winning the final stage of the Criterium du Dauphiné and getting married, he continued a run of success by taking home the polka dot jersey at the Tour de France.

"This is one of the best days of my life. It’s really good for me and for my team that I got this KOM jersey. It’s one to enjoy. It inspires me the greatest emotions," Ciccone said after reaching Paris with a special jersey and bike. "I feel really proud of myself. This jersey has been a dream of mine ever since I was a kid and I first started riding a bike."

The Italian came to the Tour with specific goal of chasing stage wins and KOM jersey. Although in the first week a breakaway result saw him close to the yellow jersey, on stage 6 he dropped out and began a focused race in pursuit of the KOM jersey.

It was not an easy win, he often put a lot of energy into collecting points throughout the stages and then struggled in the finales, but in the end the math added up in his favour. With Felix Gall and Jonas Vingegaard on his heels he was pressured all the way into the final mountain stage, but there, good tactics and a dash of luck saw him score enough points to secure the jersey, which he celebrated dearly - both at the time and last afternoon on the Champs-Elysées.